Apparatus for weaving pile fabrics



1 J. J. KAUFMANN. 1,985,208

APPARATUS FQR WEAVING PILE FABRICS Filed Sept. 1, 1953 Patented Dec. 18, 1934 PATENT OFFICE 1,985,208 APPARATUS FOR WEAVING PILE FABRICS ,John Jacob Kaufmann, Elkins Park, -Pa., assignor to Steel Heddle Manufacturing Company, 7 Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application September 1, 1933, Serial No. 687,776

7 Claims.

4 My invention relates to apparatus for weaving pile fabrics, and it relates particularly to that type of apparatusin which pile forming wires or gauges,'extending parallel to the warp, are used forholdingthe pile loops above the ground cloth whilethe fabric is being formed.

My invention, while applicable for use in connection with various styles of pile forming Wires, is particularly .useful in the weaving of fabrics such as friezes and'the like, in which the pile is relatively low, and in the weaving of which the pile forming wiresare shedded so that the shuttle may pass above or below the same, as may be required by the, structure of the weave.

. TOriginally, the weaving of low pile fabrics such as friezes and the like, a false warp was used, comprising a series of cords secured at the rear of the loom. As the cloth is fed forwardly in the weaving, these cords are withdrawn from the fabric. The principal objections to the use of the cords are the constant wearing, and the fact that often pieces break off the ends of the cords and remain in thefinished fabric.

In the development of the art, wires have been substituted for the cords. When round wires are used, they necessarily have to be of sufiicient diameter to raise the pile the required amount, and consequently they crowd the splits in the reed, often causing breakage of the warp as the same is shedded past the wires, by reason of the incompressible nature of the wires as compared with the cords.

When fiat wires are used, the same will twist when'shedded, due to the natural tendency of such wires to turn on their flat sides when bent. This twisting also causescrowding of the splits of the reed, and interferes with the proper shedding of the warp past the wires. of the fiat wires also results in considerable wear on the reed dents, thereby greatly shortening thejlifeof the reed.

The tendency of the pile formingv wires to twist is also present to some extent in the relatively wider stationary styles of pile forming wires, such as are used in double shuttle looms where one shuttle passes beneath the pile wires toform the ground cloth, and the other shuttle passe'sab'ov'e the pile wires to insert the weft which is used to support the pile loops.

The principal object, therefore, of my present invention is to provide simple and effective means for preventing twisting of flat pile wires, and thereby obviate crowding of the splits of thereed, thus insuring greater freedom of the warp in its passage past the pile wires when the shedding The twisting takes place, and alsodecreasing the reed dents.

.A further object of my invention is to provide improved apparatus which is particularly adaptable for weaving low pile fabrics and the like, and in the use of which a more evenly woven fabric is obtained. j A further object of my invention is. toprovide apparatus of the character aforesaid, forweaving pile fabrics, in the use of which breakage of the warp, by reason of crowding in the reed, will be reduced toaminimum. p With the foregoing objects in view, my invention contemplates the provision in a specific em bodiment thereof, of an improved form of apparatus for weaving low. pilefabrics in which a flat pile wire is employed, whichmay .beraisedand lowered to desired positionstopermit the shuttle to pass below and above thesame, as required in the formation of the weave, andwhich is so constructed and arranged as to mini nizecrowd ing of the warp in the reed splits as the same pass the pile wires. in the'formation of the successive sheds.v I r The nature and characteristic features'of my invention will be. more readily understood. from the following description, taken connection with the accompanyingdrawing. forming part hereof, in which:

wear on the Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating one form or embodiment of my invention, as used for the weaving of a lowpile fabric of atypical formation, in the weaving of which the pile wire gauges are 'shedded so that the weft shots may be inserted above or below" the pile wiresas qu d; I Fig. 2 is a fragmentaryperspective view ofa portion of a pile wire of the type shown in'li'ig.j1, and a portion of aheddleof, novel form in opera.- tive relationshiptherewith. j V r ,Fig 3. is a sideelevationfof the portion of the apparatus shownin Fig. 2; ,-j

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the portion .of the apparatus shown Fig. 3,;the bile wire being shown in sectionj a a j Fig. 5isa fragmentary elevation of a [portion of the reed, the pile wires andwarp ends being shown in section, andin operative relationship therewith; v v Fig. 6 is a horizontal section of a portion of the reed, with portions of the pile wires shown in operative relationship therewith; and :2

Fig. '7 is a view similarto Fig. 2, showing the arrangement employed in connection with relatively wider pile wires such as are used, for example, in double shuttle looms.

Referring to the drawing, in Fig. 1 thereof there is shown, more or less diagrammatically, a setup for weaving a pile fabric of simple type. As there shown, 10 and 11 are the ground warps, and 12 is the pile forming warp. 13 are the ground wefts, and 14 are the pile loop supporting wefts, which in some instances are left in the fabric, and in other instances are pulled out after the fabric is woven.

The ground warp ends 10 and 11 are shedded in the usual manner by the heddles 15 and 16, respectively, and the pile forming warp ends are likewise shedded by the heddles 17.

The pile forming wires 18 are secured at their rear ends by means of eyes 19, through which a transverse rod 20 extends. The rod 20 is in turn secured to a transverse bar 21 at the rear thereof.

The pile wires 18 extend through the reed 22, between the dents 23 thereof, into the fell of the cloth, pile loops being formed by the insertion of the weft shots 14 over the top of the pile wires. The pile wires 18 are flattened, the thickness thereof being appreciably less than the Width of the reed splits (see Figs. 5 and 6).

The pile wires 18 are. raised for the insertion of the weft shots 13 in the ground cloth, and lowered for the insertion of the weft shots 14 which support the pile loops, this raising and lowering of the pile wires being accomplished by means of heddles 24 interposed between the warp shedding heddles and the reed 22; It will be appreciated that, by reason of the bending of the pile wires 18 intermediate their ends, when the same are raised and lowered there will be a pronounced tendency of said wires to twist about their longitudinal axes.

To prevent the twisting above mentioned, the heddle 24 is provided with an eye 25 of peculiar formation, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4 of the drawing. This eye 25 as there shown is formed by slitting the metal of the heddle 24 in a direction parallel to its length, then offsetting the slitted portions out of the main plane of the heddle, the central portion 26 being offset in one direction, and the two side portions 27 being offset in the other direction. Theoffset is merely of such extent as to engage the fiat sides of the pile wire 18 where said wire extends through the eye 25. Hence the offset portions will effectively serveto prevent twisting of the wire 18.

In'Fig. 7 of the drawing, there is shown the application of a heddle of the same type to a pile wire 28 of the style which is usedin connection with double shuttle looms, in which the pile wires are stationary, and one shuttle passes below the pile wire and one shuttle passes above the pile wire. In this instance, the formation of the heddle 24 is substantially the same as that of the heddle shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, the offsetportions 26 and 27 being merelyelongated sufficiently to take care of the extra width of the pile wire 28 there shown.

It will, of course, be understood that the arrangement shown is forweaving a simple form of pile fabric, and that for weaving fabrics of a more complex type, the arrangement will be modified accordingly.

It will also be seen that the invention is equally applicable for weaving fabricsin which the pile isformed by traversing the pile warp back and forth .over the pile wire, by means of doup harness or equivalent mechanism.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for weaving pile fabrics comprising the combination in a loom of flat wires which are raised and lowered as required in the formation of the weave and by means of which the pile loops of the fabric are formed, said wires extending through the warp sheddingharness and through the reed parallel to the warp, and means interposed between the warp shedding harness and the reed of the loom engaging the side faces of the wires thereby to prevent twisting of said wires;

2. Apparatus for weaving pile fabrics comprising the combination in a loom of flat wires which are raised: and lowered as required in the formation of the weave and by means of which the pile loops of the fabric are formed, said wires extending through the warp shedding harness and through the reed parallel to the warp, and heddles each having an eye through which a pile wire extends, the eye portion of each heddle having parts engaging the side faces of the pile wire thereby to prevent twisting of said wire.

3. Apparatus for weaving pile fabrics comprising the combination ina loom of fiat wires which areraised and lowered as requir'edin the formation of the weave and by means of which the pile loops of the fabric are formed, said Wires extending through the warp shedding harness and through the reed parallel to the warp, and heddles each having an eye through whicha pile wire extends, each of said eyes being formed by slitted portions which extend out of the main plane of the heddleand engage the side faces of the pile, wire thereby to prevent twisting of said wire.

4. Apparatus for weaving pile fabrics comprising the combination in a loom of flat wires which are raised and lowered a'srequired in the formation of the weave and by means of which the pile loops of the fabric are formed, said wires extending through the warp shedding harness and through thereed parallel to the warp, and heddles interposed between the warp shedding harness and the reed, each of said heddles having an eye through which a pile wire extends, each of said eyes being formed by slitted portions which extend out of the main plane of the heddle and engage the side faces of the pile wire .theresertion of weft shots above and below the wires as required in the weave and by means of which the pile loops of the fabric are formed, and. heddies for raising and lowering said pile wires, said heddles being made of thin flat metal and having eyes through which said pile wires extend, each of said eyes being formed by slitted portions which extend out of the main plane of the heddle and engage the side faces of the wire, said heddies being positioned between the warp shedding harness. and the reed of the loom.

6. Apparatus for weaving pile fabrics comprising the combination in a loom of flexible pile forming wires extending parallel to the warp and having flat side faces, and means'for flexing said wires intermediate their ends comprising heddies each having an eye portion through which a pile wire extends, each of said eye portions havwire for preventing twisting of said wire.

prising heddles each having an eye portion through which an intermediate portion of a pile wire extends, the eye portion of each of said heddles having parts engaging the flat side faces of the wire passing therethrough.

JOHN JACOB KAUFMANN. 

